The transfer portal opened at midnight after the national championship game, and within hours it was already overflowing.

More than 1,000 Division I players entered the portal in the first 12 hours alone, and by the middle of the window the number had ballooned past 2,000.

That flood of movement creates the same offseason rhythm every year. The biggest names dominate the conversation first. Five-star recruits, former McDonald’s All-Americans, and players with NBA buzz make commitments that instantly reshape way-too-early rankings and spark the usual social media reactions about “portal winners” and “portal losers.”

But the truth about the portal — the thing coaches will tell you privately if you ask — is that the biggest moves usually aren't the loudest ones.

Every year, a handful of additions slip through the cracks. Players who didn’t generate huge headlines when they committed, but whose fit, opportunity, or development curve turns them into something much bigger.

Just look at what happened this past season.

When Elliot Cadeau transferred to Michigan, it wasn’t widely treated as a program-changing move. He was a talented guard looking for a fresh start, the type of portal addition that was met with skepticism rather than excitement.

A few months later, he was a national champion cutting down nets as the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player.

That’s the portal’s real lesson. The headline commitments matter — but so do the quieter ones. Sometimes the most important pieces of a roster are the ones that didn’t feel like a big deal at the time.

With that in mind, here are five of the most underrated transfer portal additions of this cycle — players whose commitments didn’t dominate the news cycle, but who could end up shaping the season in a much bigger way than expected.

Jackson Shelstad | 6'1" Guard | Oregon ➡️ Louisville

Shelstad isn’t exactly an unknown name in the transfer portal. Anyone who watched Oregon the last two seasons knows the flashes — the quick first step, the pull-up threes, the stretches where he looks like the quickest guard on the floor.

But the reaction to his move to Louisville has been… lukewarm.

The stats crowd sees the limitations. He hasn’t lived at the rim or generated many free throws. His efficiency dipped last season in a small sample before injuries shut things down. And with Louisville assembling an expensive roster — Shelstad got a lucrative deal — his addition didn’t feel like the kind of portal commitment that sends shockwaves through the sport.

That might be missing the bigger picture. Because when you watch Shelstad play, he looks like a guard built for Pat Kelsey's system.

I think Shelstad is set to become one of the nation's most productive guards while playing for Louisville.

Kelsey’s offense is built around guards who can shoot off movement, create advantages with the dribble, and make decisions on the move. Louisville has already seen how valuable that archetype can be with players like Chucky Hepburn and Mikel Brown Jr., guards who can manipulate space while still threatening to score. Ryan Conwell does, too, even if he wasn't the same playmaker as the other two.

Shelstad fits that mold.

For most of his career at Oregon, he was known primarily as a shifty combo guard who leaned heavily towards scoring. But last season, before a hand injury shortened his year, there were clear signs of evolution. Shelstad handled the ball more often and his assist numbers jumped dramatically, averaging nearly five per game after never topping 2.8 previously.

The growth was real. And it showed up in the details.

Shelstad’s burst off the dribble allows him to get in the paint, which is where good guards start bending defenses. When that help comes, he’s shown an increased willingness to make the right read — kicking out to shooters or hitting simple drop-offs rather than forcing shots. It’s not flashy playmaking, but it’s the kind of functional decision-making that keeps an offense humming.

That versatility is what makes him particularly intriguing in Louisville’s system.

Shelstad can initiate offense when needed, but he’s just as comfortable playing off the ball. He’s a capable movement shooter who can run off flares and pindowns, catch and fire quickly, and stretch defenses beyond the arc. In transition he fills lanes naturally and can punish defenses that lose track of him.

And historically, the shooting has been real. That version of Shelstad is a dangerous offensive weapon.

We know Shelstad is going to make shots. Now, the Cardinals need find enough rim pressure elsewhere in the offense to complement him, because getting downhill and drawing fouls has never been a major part of his game.

But if Louisville gets that from Flory Bidunga and others, Shelstad’s skill set could shine in ways it never fully did at Oregon.

Throw out last year’s chaotic Duck season and the injury-shortened sample. The player Louisville is getting is the one who was excellent as a sophomore and flashed real star potential as a freshman — a dynamic guard with the creativity and shooting ability to stretch defenses in multiple ways.

And in a Pat Kelsey offense that prioritizes pace, spacing, and guard freedom, that kind of player has a chance to become something bigger than what people expect.

Eian Elmer | 6'6" Wing | Miami (OH) ➡️ Wisconsin

Every offseason, Wisconsin seems to find a wing who wasn’t necessarily a headline name in the portal and turns him into one.

Three years ago it was AJ Storr. Then John Tonje. Last season it was Nick Boyd and John Blackwell leading the offense, Boyd from the point guard spot while Blackwell emerged in that wing role.

Greg Gard’s system has quietly become one of the best environments in the country for wings to break out, which is why Eian Elmer might be one of the most quietly fascinating portal additions of this entire cycle.

On the surface, Elmer looks like a classic 3-and-D wing. At Miami (OH), he built his reputation as an elite catch-and-shoot threat — knocking down spot-up jumpers at a rate that ranked in the 95th percentile nationally, according to Synergy. That kind of shooting alone gives him immediate value in a Wisconsin offense that thrives on spacing and precise execution.

But if Elmer were just a shooter, Wisconsin probably wouldn’t have prioritized him the way they did.

The interesting part is what might still be there to unlock.

At Miami, Elmer mostly operated as a connector piece on a team that won 32 games and had plenty of offensive options. His role was to space the floor, move the ball, and take advantage of the shots that came within the flow of the offense.

He did that well. But in limited opportunities with the ball in his hands, there were flashes that suggest there might be more there.

Elmer was actually one of the most efficient pick-and-roll scorers in the country last season, landing in the 99th percentile in those situations. The sample size wasn’t huge — he didn’t run many ball screens — but the efficiency was eye-catching enough that it’s easy to imagine Wisconsin’s staff circling those numbers during the evaluation process.

Because the Badgers have a track record here.

They’ve repeatedly taken wings with strong shooting foundations and gradually expanded their offensive responsibility. What starts as a complementary role often grows into something much bigger once the player gets comfortable in the system.

Elmer clearly believes that opportunity exists.

At Miami, he didn’t need to be a primary scorer. At Wisconsin, he could very well step into the same wing role that has produced some of the team’s most dynamic offensive seasons in recent years. It’s a position within the offense that often gets touches in ball-screen actions, secondary playmaking situations, and transition opportunities.

And if Elmer’s efficiency in those pick-and-roll reps translates to a larger role, it could unlock a different version of his game.

Physically, he fits the archetype Gard likes on the wing — strong, skilled, and capable of guarding multiple positions. Offensively, his shooting alone forces defenses to respect him, which naturally opens up driving lanes and secondary playmaking opportunities.

The question isn’t whether Elmer can contribute, but rather if he can follow the same developmental arc that has defined this spot in Wisconsin’s offense — arriving as a complementary piece and leaving as one of the league’s most productive wings.

Because if the Badgers are right about what they see in him, Elmer’s role this season might be much more prominent than the one he played with the RedHawks.

Preston Edmead | 6'1" Guard| Hofstra ➡️ NC State

Edmead isn’t going to be the name that jumps off the page when you scan this portal class, but he might end up being one of the more important additions.

NC State didn’t just add a productive freshman from a mid-major — they added a guard who already shows signs of being able to control an offense, and that’s a different level of projection.

It starts with the shot-making.

Edmead is one of those guards opponents have to defend differently because of his ability to shoot off the bounce. At Hofstra, he made them consistently enough (38.7 percent from three) that defenses don’t really have the option of going under screens or giving him space to operate. Once that’s established, everything starts reacting to him, and that’s where his game starts to expand.

Edmead has a quick enough first step to attack those closeouts and get into the paint, and while he’s not going to overwhelm defenders with size or vertical pop, he’s effective once he gets there. He plays with control, uses angles well, and finds ways to finish or extend the possession without forcing bad shots.

And more importantly, he doesn’t get stuck.

For a freshman, Edmead showed a really solid feel for when to score and when to move the ball. He’s comfortable operating in ball screens, getting two feet in the paint, and making simple reads — whether that’s hitting a roller, kicking out to a shooter, or just resetting the offense. It’s not flashy playmaking, but it’s functional, and it keeps everything flowing.

That combination is what makes this fit at NC State so interesting.

With Christian Hammond also coming in, the Wolfpack should have a backcourt that can create offense in different ways. Hammond brings his own scoring and playmaking ability, but Edmead gives them someone who can organize possessions a little more — a guard who can initiate, space the floor, and apply steady pressure on the defense over the course of a game.

And the shooting is what raises the ceiling.

Because when you have a guard who is a threat to shoot a three at any moment, it changes the math for a defense. It stretches coverage, opens driving lanes, and creates easier opportunities for everyone else on the floor. Even when Edmead isn’t scoring, that gravity still shows up in how teams have to guard him.

There are still areas to watch, of course. Listed at 6-foot-1, finishing over length is going to be more challenging at this level, and the jump in competition will test how efficiently he can maintain his scoring profile. That’s part of the transition.

But the foundation is there.

Edmead already has the hardest piece to find — the ability to create shots for himself in a way that translates across levels. Add in the decision-making and the shooting, and it’s not hard to see how this could grow into something bigger.

NC State needed more offensive juice in the backcourt, and Edmead looks like the engine. I think new Wolfpack head coach Justin Gainey got someone that can truly lead his offense for the first few seasons in his tenure.

Ace Glass | 6'3" Guard| Washington State ➡️ Vanderbilt

Mark Byington’s offense works best when the ball is in the hands of guards who can create something out of nothing.

Last season, that identity showed up in Vanderbilt’s backcourt. When the Commodores were at their best, it was because Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles could break defenses down off the dribble, collapse the paint, and manufacture shots when a possession stalled.

With Miles moving on, Vanderbilt needed another guard who could fill that same space in the offense.

Ace Glass looks like the obvious answer.

One of my favorite players to watch last season, Glass arrives in Nashville after a freshman season at Washington State where the numbers jump off the page: more than 16 points per game, solid efficiency from the field, and nearly 36 percent from three on a high volume of attempts. For a first-year guard carrying a large scoring burden, that’s impressive production.

But the numbers only tell part of the story.

What stands out when you watch Glass play is how naturally he creates offense. Some scorers rely heavily on structure — designed actions, clean reads, specific spots on the floor. Glass doesn’t need much of that. Give him a ball screen, a mismatch, or even a sliver of space, and he’s comfortable going to work.

He has the kind of handle and burst that lets him get to his spots quickly. Once he gets there, he’s balanced and confident enough to rise up into difficult jumpers or extend the play toward the rim. The result is a three-level scorer who isn't bothered by defensive pressure.

And that’s exactly the type of player Byington tends to lean on.

Vanderbilt’s offense thrives when it has multiple shot creators on the floor at once. Spacing improves, defensive coverages get stretched thinner, and suddenly the Commodores are generating good looks without needing to run perfect offense every possession.

Glass fits naturally into that ecosystem.

At Washington State, he often had to shoulder the responsibility of being the primary scoring option on a team that struggled around him. That role came with heavy shot volume and plenty of defensive attention. In Nashville, the context should be different. If Tanner returns as expected, Glass can slide into a role where he’s still aggressive offensively but doesn’t have to manufacture every possession on his own.

Glass is comfortable with the ball in his hands, but his skillset is also capable of playing alongside another creator and attacking defenses that are already rotating. In that environment, his scoring instincts — the quick pull-ups, the deep range, the ability to turn a small opening into a shot attempt — become even more dangerous.

Of course, there are still questions.

Defensively, Glass is not arriving as a finished product. Washington State struggled on that end of the floor last season, and he was part of that group. The SEC will present a different level of physicality and guard play, so there will be an adjustment period.

But Vanderbilt brought him in because he can score.

Glass has the kind of offensive confidence that great shot creators tend to carry. When he gets hot, he’s capable of flipping the momentum of a game in a matter of minutes — knocking down a couple difficult jumpers, forcing a defense to overreact, and suddenly opening up the floor for everyone else.

And if Vanderbilt’s guard play drives another strong season in Nashville, it wouldn’t be surprising if Glass is right in the middle of it.

Thomas Dowd | 6'8" Forward| Troy ➡️ Auburn

If you watched Troy at any point last season, you didn’t have to go searching for Thomas Dowd — he stood out every single game.

You’d turn it on and within a few possessions he was already doing something to catch your attention, whether that be ripping down a rebound in traffic, switching onto a guard and holding his ground, or trailing the play and knocking down a three.

Dowd wasn’t just Troy’s best player — he was the reason their entire operation worked. He played as many minutes as anyone in the country, and it made sense. Take him off the floor, and everything dipped. Keep him out there, and the game stayed in control.

That kind of trust usually points to something deeper than production.

It points to versatility.

Dowd doesn’t play like a traditional big, and he’s not really a pure wing either. He lives in that in-between space that’s become so valuable — big enough to rebound at a high level, mobile enough to switch defensively, skilled enough to space the floor and keep the offense moving.

That combination is exactly what Steven Pearl was looking for in the portal.

Auburn wants to play fast, be aggressive defensively, and trot out lineups where multiple guys can do multiple things without the system breaking down. Dowd fits into that pretty seamlessly.

Start with the rebounding, because that’s the easiest thing to trust translating.

He doesn’t just clean up what’s around him — he always seems to be in the right position. Offensive glass, defensive glass, second efforts. He creates extra possessions, and on a team that already plays with tempo, that adds up quickly.

But the part that makes him more than just a high-motor rebounder is his all-around skill level.

Dowd is comfortable stepping out and taking threes as a real part of his game. He can put the ball on the floor enough to keep defenses honest. He’s shown flashes as a passer, making simple reads and keeping things connected rather than stopping the ball.

There isn't one skill of his that's truly elite, but how all of it fits together makes Dowd valuable. And that’s why he was able to impact games the way he did.

Even against better competition, Dowd didn’t disappear. If anything, he leaned into it — his minutes increased against Quad 1 and 2 opponents, and he maintained his efficiency. In fact, he was better on the defensive glass in those games and got to the foul line more. That consistency matters when you’re projecting a jump in level.

Now, Dowd is not a polished post scorer, and there will be matchups on the perimeter where quicker guards can challenge him off the bounce. The SEC is going to test those edges of his game in a way the Sun Belt didn’t.

But Auburn isn’t asking him to anchor the offense or guard every position at an elite level. They need him to do what he’s already shown he can do — impact the game across the board, bring energy every possession, and fit into a system that rewards versatility.

Players like Dowd don’t need a specific role to be effective. They just find ways to contribute and, on good teams, that contribution usually becomes more visible.